The inability of users to merge their Apple IDs has created a myriad of potential problems for some making the transition from MobileMe to its replacement, iCloud.

A number of users have reached out to AppleInsider to share their issues and frustrations as they have attempted to migrate from MobileMe to iCloud. One person explained in an e-mail that they have called AppleCare, used online support, and even asked for help at a local retail store.

"I bought a MobileMe subscription when they came out," the user wrote in their e-mail. "Until Wednesday I didn't (realize) this created a new (Apple ID). I asked (iTunes) support to add this MobileMe address to my current (iTunes Apple ID) as this was to become my primary email address.

"On Wednesday when iCloud came out it became apparent that this MobileMe email address could not be verified on the MobileMe account as it was in use by my old (iTunes Apple ID). So (I) went to appleid.apple.com to try to change the Primary email address to something different in my iTunes AppleID but it wouldn't let me." Calls made to AppleCare couldn't resolve the problem, they said.

It's a similar story for another user, who has one Apple ID used to purchase applications and music, which is separate from the e-mail address used for their MobileMe account. The person is in a position where they must choose between the e-mail address associated with their MobileMe account, or the Apple ID that they have used to purchase applications and music.

Another person said that upon setting up their iOS device, they were asked to create a me.com e-mail address, but they were unable to do this on an iOS device or a MacBook Air.

This person said after speaking with a senior technical support representative at Apple, they were told that Apple is "not allowing new me.com e-mail addresses," but only allowing MobileMe accounts to be converted to iCloud. The representative allegedly indicated that Apple has been receiving many calls about the issue, but they do not know when a fix will be available.

A similar list of headaches for MobileMe users making the move to iCloud was also detailed Monday by Chris Foresman of Ars Technica. He noted that the issues can also apply to users who have shared an Apple ID with family members, allowing purchases like software from the App Store to be installed on multiple devices -- a practice allowed with Apple's terms of service.

"Unless all devices are going to be synced to the same data store -- with everyone sharing contacts, calendars, and other information -- other users who were previously dependent on that account may have to re-purchase apps or music," he said.

Apple CEO Tim Cook allegedly indicated in an e-mail in September that Apple is working to allow users to merge multiple Apple IDs. But that ability has not yet arrived.

Apple launched its free iCloud service last Wednesday, along with the release of iOS 5 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and an update for Mac OS X 10.7 Lion adding iCloud support. iCloud will back up users' personal data on their iOS device to Apple's remote servers in the cloud, and also keeps data, documents, calendars and contacts synced across a number of devices with the use of an Apple ID.

Both iOS and iTunes/MacOS Support the use of two separate ID's-- one for music and the app store, the other for iCloud purposes. You cannot have the same primary email address identified on both accounts, but iTunes and iCloud do not really need to talk to each other at this point. I had issues trying to use one ID for both, but have had 0 issues trying to use two separate IDs.

People who want to use iTunes match will likely run into issues, in the long run.

The inability of users to merge their Apple IDs has created a myriad of potential problems for some making the transition from MobileMe to its replacement, iCloud. ...

I kind of resent the way this article spins these problems as, well ... problems, when in fact Apple has been clear from day one that you can't merge your Apple ID's into iCloud.

It's unfortunate, but it's not a "problem" per se (one that has a possible fix), it's the way it's supposed to work and the way it's advertised to work. They may provide a method for merging ID's in future or they may not. Too bad for those that don't understand how these things work.

It's also arguably very dumb of users not to see this coming. How many sites or services or email providers of any kind allow you to use multiple ID's to access the service and yet be the same person? Almost none. Aliases yes, multiple accounts, generally not.

I've had problems since I upgraded to iOS5. Been a MobileMe member for the past few years. They still have not resolved it. Getting frustrated. It's a 24-hour turnaround time to respond to. I'm cutting them some slack since I know they are probably getting hammered right-and-left from all the hoopla, but I expected better.

Problem for me is that some of my apps are tied to my old iTunes Apple ID which I've used for years and I risk losing serious data if I uninstall and reinstall the app.

You cannot have the same primary email address identified on both accounts, but iTunes and iCloud do not really need to talk to each other at this point. I had issues trying to use one ID for both, but have had 0 issues trying to use two separate IDs.

People who want to use iTunes match will likely run into issues, in the long run.

A simple one-time account merge would be preferable here, though.

agree that account merge would work well for many;
but your comment saying you cannot use the same primary email address identified on both is not correct (for me anyway); I use my mobileMe@me.com (now iCloud) address for both iTunes and iCloud- have for years

I kind of resent the way this article spins these problems as, well ... problems, when in fact Apple has been clear from day one that you can't merge your Apple ID's into iCloud.

It's unfortunate, but it's not a "problem" per se (one that has a possible fix), it's the way it's supposed to work and the way it's advertised to work. They may provide a method for merging ID's in future or they may not. Too bad for those that don't understand how these things work.

It's also arguably very dumb of users not to see this coming. How many sites or services or email providers of any kind allow you to use multiple ID's to access the service and yet be the same person? Almost none. Aliases yes, multiple accounts, generally not.

Prof. Peabody...I have to disagree. I had an iTunes account before MobileMe even existed. My Apple ID was tied to a Hotmail account. How was I supposed to know at the time that Apple would then force me several years, hell almost a decade, in the future to use my MobileMe account as my Apple ID for the transition to iCloud?

I agree with others, a one-time merge for MobileMe customers is the very least they can do. For now I've got to juggle two, one for iCloud and one for iTunes. I'd forgo the next four months of MM service for a one-time merge.

I couldn't migrate my Mobile Me ID to iCloud... probably because my MacBook was still on Leopard.

I then installed iOS5 on my iPhone... and it prompted me to sign in to iCloud with my Apple ID. It recommended that, if you use one Apple ID for iTunes, and have a separate Mobile Me ID, to use the Mobile Me ID to log in at that time. Maybe I overthought things, but I went ahead and used my iTunes Apple ID to sign in to iCloud. It took a couple hours, but I got the confirmation that my iTunes Apple ID was now associated with iCloud.

I turned off all syncing with Mobile Me on my phone.

I also got around to updating my MacBook to Lion. Signed out of Mobile Me on there, and signed in to iCloud on it.

I still check my Mobile Me email, but other than that, everything else I was using it for is turned off at this point, and working fine via iCloud. I'm just fine letting my Mobile Me account wither and die, and now I only have to remember my main Apple ID for everything.

agree that account merge would work well for many;
but your comment saying you cannot use the same primary email address identified on both is not correct (for me anyway); I use my mobileMe@me.com (now iCloud) address for both iTunes and iCloud- have for years

ken

Fair enough, but it does not allow me to make my primary iCloud (former MobileMe) account's email address an @gmail.com address that is the primary email for my iTunes AppleID. This may be because the iTunes account was originally connected to an @mac.com email address. So a workaround may be that if you are happy making @me.com your default email, you may be fine. Personally, I'm just not interested in using @me.com as an email address.

Despite what some have said, this is NOT a user problem-- people who have purchased MORE of apple's services throughout the years are at a DISADVANTAGE to those who refused to pay for MobileMe/.Mac because of having accounts orphaned multiple times. It's not a huge deal, but not having a choice as to whether or not you operate with separate iCloud accounts is pretty lame. Buying more apple products is supposed to simplify your workflow, not make it worse.

AppStore's account doesn't necessarily need to be the same as you iCloud account!!!
you share your apps with the rest of the family???
great...
let them use your appleid for the Appstore, and create iCloud accounts for them...
or better yet, even YOU create an iCloud account...
and leave the AppStore account for Apps and music and books only...
the AppStore account has Nothing to do with the iCloud account...
I, had my AppStore Appleid, and a year after I bought god knows how many apps, I got me a mobileme account...
yes, I would've loved merging them, and the day they say i will be able to do so, I'll be sooooo happy...
but for the time being, I converted my MobileMe account to iCloud, and got 25Gbs instead of the usual 5, and am using it on my iPhone, iPod and iPad...
while the AppStore account is the one logged to my account, and two of my family use it, while they have their own iCloud accounts...
No problem whatsoever, each one has his contacts, calendars, reminders, documents and photos on a different iCloud account...
music and apps though are common...

log to iCloud while setting up the iPhone, and then go to AppStore and login using your AppStore Appleid, you can do the same for the iMessage, FaceTime also...

I kind of resent the way this article spins these problems as, well ... problems, when in fact Apple has been clear from day one that you can't merge your Apple ID's into iCloud.

It's unfortunate, but it's not a "problem" per se (one that has a possible fix), it's the way it's supposed to work and the way it's advertised to work. They may provide a method for merging ID's in future or they may not. Too bad for those that don't understand how these things work.

It's also arguably very dumb of users not to see this coming. How many sites or services or email providers of any kind allow you to use multiple ID's to access the service and yet be the same person? Almost none. Aliases yes, multiple accounts, generally not.

Im not sure if anyone has said this yet, but you can use your mobileme id for all icloud stuff and use your store id for all purchase stuff. You still 'cloud-push' all you purchases. This is the solution. Apple already solved it. This is all a lot of noise about nothing.

I found this out while trying to change my second Apple ID e-mail address that I use for my music and apps download, I by accidentally mistyped my e-mail address while trying to change it Wednesday night. It took me until Saturday sitting at the Genius Bar for two hours to get back into the account including multiple calls to Apple Care as well a running back and fourth e-mail chain with ITunes support. During which time I found out that Apple's ID center was essentially overloaded to point of being super super slow. In addition it was taking people nearly twice as long to get an e-mail response from the Apple ID center. In addition if you called Apple Care they were well aware of the problem with the Apple ID center and were essentially told to tell people to wait as the ID center was still overloaded with people changing information. The Apple ID center was supposedly just fully getting back on its feet on Saturday, according to someone at the Genius Bar. If you have had issues with the Apple ID center try again it is working fully now.

Prof. Peabody...I have to disagree. I had an iTunes account before MobileMe even existed. My Apple ID was tied to a Hotmail account. How was I supposed to know at the time that Apple would then force me several years, hell almost a decade, in the future to use my MobileMe account as my Apple ID for the transition to iCloud?

I agree with others, a one-time merge for MobileMe customers is the very least they can do. For now I've got to juggle two, one for iCloud and one for iTunes. I'd forgo the next four months of MM service for a one-time merge.

Bill

All your devices will use your saved MM account/password for email, etc. You just need to enter your other Apple ID for iTunes purchases. Could you explain the juggling bit?

Fair enough, but it does not allow me to make my primary iCloud (former MobileMe) account's email address an @gmail.com address that is the primary email for my iTunes AppleID. This may be because the iTunes account was originally connected to an @mac.com email address. So a workaround may be that if you are happy making @me.com your default email, you may be fine. Personally, I'm just not interested in using @me.com as an email address.

Despite what some have said, this is NOT a user problem-- people who have purchased MORE of apple's services throughout the years are at a DISADVANTAGE to those who refused to pay for MobileMe/.Mac because of having accounts orphaned multiple times. It's not a huge deal, but not having a choice as to whether or not you operate with separate iCloud accounts is pretty lame. Buying more apple products is supposed to simplify your workflow, not make it worse.

agree with all that... I think they should have a merge operation available for the many in you're predicament... I'm guessing the outcry will produce this solution - hopefully sooner than later;
although I'm not in this camp- I'm rooting for all those who are!!

Im not sure if anyone has said this yet, but you can use your mobileme id for all icloud stuff and use your store id for all purchase stuff. You still 'cloud-push' all you purchases. This is the solution. Apple already solved it. This is all a lot of noise about nothing.

This is how I set up one of the devices' in my household. They'll use their own iCloud/MM (new) account, but share the same Apple ID for purchases. I see it as the best of both, you're data is separate but you can share purchases.

Im not sure if anyone has said this yet, but you can use your mobileme id for all icloud stuff and use your store id for all purchase stuff. You still 'cloud-push' all you purchases. This is the solution. Apple already solved it. This is all a lot of noise about nothing.

What he said :-)

Took me a while to realise this though and it really should have been spelled out a bit clearer by Apple.

I have an ID for iTunes , then I got a .mac address , then that became a MobileMe address , so I have THREE ID's - only the iTunes one can purchase apps and music.

So when setting up iCloud I use the @mac OR the @me ID's , then set the store ID to my original iTunes ID. All works perfectly.

But yes , I agree fully that it would be much simpler to be able to consolidate my 3 ID's into one nice @mac or @me ID.

Both iOS and iTunes/MacOS Support the use of two separate ID's-- one for music and the app store, the other for iCloud purposes. You cannot have the same primary email address identified on both accounts, but iTunes and iCloud do not really need to talk to each other at this point. I had issues trying to use one ID for both, but have had 0 issues trying to use two separate IDs.

People who want to use iTunes match will likely run into issues, in the long run.

A simple one-time account merge would be preferable here, though.

I have actually found having two ID's preferable. It allows my wife to use her MobileMe Address for those functions it supports but, we share the Apple ID for Music, Movies, Books, Newsstand and Apps. This way we don't have to make two purchases, contacts and calendars are kept separate but, can be shared if we wish.

If combined, wouldn't that cause an issue with separate users sharing purchases for Music? You would also have to use the same Email, Contacts and Calendars...?

The inability of users to merge their Apple IDs has created a myriad of potential problems for some making the transition from MobileMe to its replacement, iCloud.

I had MobileMe with a different ID than my iTunes account. I also had a non-email address for my iTunes apple-ID, which is no longer allowed. And I made the transition to iCloud on the first day, while the servers were mostly non-responsive.

All of this resulted in me ending up with two iCloud accounts (one associated with my former MobileMe account), and after manually messing with settings in both I had duplicated entries in my address book, calendars turned on in both, etc. In the end I simply turned off all the syncing from both accounts (on all my devices), which erased my calendars, and manually selected all contacts in the address book on my Mac and erased them.

I then turned on only the syncing in the iCloud account associated with my iTunes Apple ID on all my devices and then restored everything from the backups I had made on my Mac before starting the process (which the transition Web guide had asked me to do before beginning). I don't need iCloud to sync mail or notes, since I used other accounts for mail and notes, so I left that turned off. I then deleted the extraneous iCloud account on my Mac (under Mail Contacts & Calendars) and all is happy.

I later made the transition for my partner, when the Apple servers weren't so stressed, using her MobileMe ID as her apple ID, and it automagically handled everything properly and she ended up with only one iCloud account with all the right data in it. We then authorized each other's machines for each other's iTunes Apple ID's (under "Store" menu item in iTunes) so we can use each others purchases, but don't automatically get them.

It's also arguably very dumb of users not to see this coming. How many sites or services or email providers of any kind allow you to use multiple ID's to access the service and yet be the same person? Almost none. Aliases yes, multiple accounts, generally not.

Actually, I'd say it's very dumb of Apple not to see this coming. They provided two seperate services which often resulted in people having different logins. Some of us had Apple IDs long before MobileMe ever existed, and then we later signed up for MobileMe. Apple is now merging their systems. This is as if you had two different companies who were now merging into one. How could they not have anticipated the need to for people to merge their accounts into a single account in the new company.

At the time we ended up with two different logins, I'd argue that neither the customer nor Apple knew the long-term consequences. But as Apple planned for iCloud, they should have at that time anticiapted the requirement. Blaming users for a choice they made years ago in the absence of a crystal ball predicting the future is pretty silly.

AppStore's account doesn't necessarily need to be the same as you iCloud account!!!
you share your apps with the rest of the family???
great...
let them use your appleid for the Appstore, and create iCloud accounts for them...

This is exactly what I have done and it works fine. My family uses their own me.com accounts for iCloud and the common email account for the AppStore and iTunes purchases.

Maybe it's just but i kinda like this set up. I would rather have one ID for iTunes purchases which can be shared among family members and a separate iCloud ID tied to each individual account.

This is the way I have it set up as well--and I'm not sure how else it would work better. I have 4 iPads, 4 iPhones and 3 Macs divided up between me, my wife and my kids. All of them use the same iTunes account for purchases and each has a separate iCloud account for individual stuff so we're not all sharing the same data. I can buy something in the app store and we can all share it without each having to repurchase it.

Took a while to get all of the settings right and everyone transitioned over, but it's all up and running smoothly now.

I kind of resent the way this article spins these problems as, well ... problems, when in fact Apple has been clear from day one that you can't merge your Apple ID's into iCloud.

It's unfortunate, but it's not a "problem" per se (one that has a possible fix), it's the way it's supposed to work and the way it's advertised to work. They may provide a method for merging ID's in future or they may not. Too bad for those that don't understand how these things work.

It's also arguably very dumb of users not to see this coming. How many sites or services or email providers of any kind allow you to use multiple ID's to access the service and yet be the same person? Almost none. Aliases yes, multiple accounts, generally not.

This sounds like blaming the user. The fact is Apple made it too easy to create multiple Apple IDs in the past, and so a lot of people have one for iTunes and one or more others that may have had the same e-mail address. I set up my parents' iPads this weekend and ran into this issue. Unfortunately, my mother had one set up in 2010 for iTunes, but two others set up in 2004 and 2008 that had the same e-mail address (I think one was related to an old .Mac account). Because of that, I couldn't "verify" the 2010 one (which is the one she actually uses) without changing the e-mail address.

It was very frustrating sorting this out. Fortunately things went smoother setting up my Dad's, but I think a lot of people are running into this issue.

Hi,
I've got the same problem: I moved my Mobileme account to iCloud but, simultaneously, Apple created a new iCloud account when I set up my iPhone and iPad in ios5.
I believe I solved the problem in "settings" when I deleted my iCloud account issued from Mobileme and set up a new one with the loggin issued by Apple for ios5.
Yet, I do not know whether iDisk still exist in iCloud: I didn't find it.
Thanks for your help there